Mass. Brewers Week is coming

There are more than 100 breweries in Massachusetts, with virtually everyone living within minutes of a brewery and taproom.

Now, Beer Advocate and the Mass. Brewers Guild are joining together to sponsor Mass. Beer Week, showcasing the state's breweries, from well-known breweries to the small ones people may not be familiar with.

Mass. Beer Week starts on April 29 and runs through May 6.

“I think the ultimate goal is to shine a light on all of the amazing things that are going on in the state,” said Mass. Brewers Guild President and Night Shift Brewery co-founder Rob Burns. “This is a time to focus on things that are going on in the state.”

This is not the first time there has been a beer week. A few years ago, Beer Advocate sponsored Boston Beer Week. Although it had fun events, most of the events, such as tap takeovers or beer dinners, were held by out-of-state brewers.

In addition, Burns said, a lot breweries from west of Rte. 128 felt excluded. Boston Beer Week went away, and last year the first Massachusetts Beer Week took place.

“Last year, they (Beer Advocate) weren’t able to throw a ton of energy behind it because they have so much going on,” said Burns. “We reached out to them because we just hired Katie (Stinchon, executive director of the Mass. Brewers Guild) at the time and said we’d love to co-throw this event in the future. We’re using both the guild’s resources and Beer Advocate’s resources.”

So far, the list of events has not been completed. Mass. Beer Week starts with the Mass. Brewers Guild Power Beer Fest on April 29. Other confirmed events include a Mass. Brewers Guild tap takeover at the Rail Trail Flatbread Company in Hudson on May 1. The event will feature eight different Massachusetts breweries with brewers on hand to talk to beer fans and discuss the beers on tap.

Also, on May 6, Cambridge Brewing Company will be hosting its 28th anniversary. The event will feature 28 beers on tap – one for each year of the brewery’s existence. The outdoor patio will be open, and there will be local music and food.

All events will be posted at beerdadvocate.com/mass.

Burns said they are looking for breweries, brewpubs, beer bars and restaurants to host various Mass. Beer Week events. Suggested events include tap takeovers, beer dinners and meet the brewers events, all featuring Massachusetts-brewed beers.

The only goal of all the events is to focus on Massachusetts breweries and beers.

“If we’re going to throw a beer week, we want it to be about beers being brewed here,” said Burns. “To be a beer week event, it has to be about Massachusetts beers. We’re somewhere in the 120s (number of breweries) right now, and this is a way for us to show off what they’re all doing.”

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut. Follow him on Twitter @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.